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How Dodge Plans to Curb Markups on the Challenger SRT Demon

We did it, y'all. We made it through the flames and past the pitchforks of the hoopla surrounding the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. Now comes the ugly business of ordering the production drag racer. The Demon has a retail price of $86,090, including a gas-guzzler tax, and Dodge is structuring a plan to keep it that way.

Orders for the Demon begin this week-on Wednesday, June 21. Production cranks up in late summer, and deliveries will start in the fall. Only 3000 cars, all serialized, will be designated for the United States, while 300 will be headed to Canada. With the amount of hype and fanfare surrounding the car, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has a multi-tier plan to fight markups on the Demon when the order books open.

"We know some dealers may be tempted to sell to the highest bidder," said Tim Kuniskis, FCA North America's head of passenger-car brands, "but we are encouraging them to leverage the Demon as a halo for both the brand and their dealership, to bring customers into their showrooms and see everything we have to offer."

Dealers are only eligible to sell the car if they've sold at least one SRT Hellcat in the past year. From there, Dodge will look at overall Hellcat, Charger, and Challenger sales at those dealerships and determine allocations. Dealers can only order as many Demons as Dodge allocates to them.

Most important, Dodge will penalize any orders that are marked above MSRP. Cars sold for MSRP or below (as if) will get priority production scheduling, resulting in lower serial numbers and thus higher value for the customer. The buyer will also be put in touch with a direct Demon hotline for easier communication and order tracking. It's not on the Apple Watch Domino's Pizza tracker level, but it's something. Now, if only we could text a devil emoji to Dodge and have a Demon delivered ...